as in perplexed
faced with difficulty or uncertainty about what to say, think, or do
baffled viewers didn't know what to make of the strange antics of the talk show host
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in frustrated
to prevent from achieving a goal
the language barrier baffled everyone and discouraged us from attempting another teleconference
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in puzzled
to throw into a state of mental uncertainty
she was baffled by the wording of the clause in the insurance policy
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of baffled
ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Scientist can’t be blamed for not recognizing the fleshy glob, because Relicanthus daphneae baffled experts for decades, the American Museum of Natural History reports.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2026
What’s more, the legislation has no clear path to getting a vote on the House floor, which has left some of its backers even more baffled by the pushback.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
One outcome — perhaps, a five-point plan While Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and others are actively pursuing diplomacy, Iran and Israel are not interested, and the United States appears baffled and unsteady.
—Daniel Kurtzer, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
One of the best examples of that is phantom limb pain, which for a long time baffled people.
—Margaret Cirino, NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
But some children—Hazel, Evan, and, of course, Jude—baffled Lilian.
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Emotional rollercoasters for baffled European allies.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 24 Feb. 2026
The world welterweight champion from San Antonio is as baffled as anyone.
—John Whisler, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Feb. 2026
Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2026
During our overnight coverage on CNN, Jim Sciutto pointed out that people watching in other countries are baffled by this American attribute.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
Captain Sidney Crosby was similarly baffled.
—CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
The hosts are baffled and intrigued.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Perry says that the label wanted to call the record 4 Non Blondes, which baffled her.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
The Brotherly Bultema Battery of junior pitcher Maddux and sophomore catcher Nolan had the South Lake hitters baffled.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2026
Some investors were baffled why an ailing shoe brand got so much attention in the first place.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 16 Apr. 2026
The museum complied, but staff were reportedly baffled.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Not outraged but baffled, curious Kaho tries to find out his hidden message.
—ABC News, 24 Apr. 2026
Scientist can’t be blamed for not recognizing the fleshy glob, because Relicanthus daphneae baffled experts for decades, the American Museum of Natural History reports.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2026
What’s more, the legislation has no clear path to getting a vote on the House floor, which has left some of its backers even more baffled by the pushback.
—Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 22 Apr. 2026
One outcome — perhaps, a five-point plan While Pakistan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and others are actively pursuing diplomacy, Iran and Israel are not interested, and the United States appears baffled and unsteady.
—Daniel Kurtzer, New York Daily News, 5 Apr. 2026
One of the best examples of that is phantom limb pain, which for a long time baffled people.
—Margaret Cirino, NPR, 4 Apr. 2026
But some children—Hazel, Evan, and, of course, Jude—baffled Lilian.
—Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 1 Mar. 2026
Emotional rollercoasters for baffled European allies.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 24 Feb. 2026
The world welterweight champion from San Antonio is as baffled as anyone.
—John Whisler, San Antonio Express-News, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
His gift is an uncanny ability to solve crimes that leave the LAPD baffled, armed only with the savvy and dry humor reminiscent of the gumshoe detectives of the noir genre.
—Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2026
During our overnight coverage on CNN, Jim Sciutto pointed out that people watching in other countries are baffled by this American attribute.
—Brian Stelter, CNN Money, 26 Apr. 2026
Captain Sidney Crosby was similarly baffled.
—CBS News, 23 Apr. 2026
The hosts are baffled and intrigued.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Perry says that the label wanted to call the record 4 Non Blondes, which baffled her.
—Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2026
The Brotherly Bultema Battery of junior pitcher Maddux and sophomore catcher Nolan had the South Lake hitters baffled.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Apr. 2026
Some investors were baffled why an ailing shoe brand got so much attention in the first place.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 16 Apr. 2026
The museum complied, but staff were reportedly baffled.
—Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 15 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for baffled
Adjective
-
Some observers are perplexed as to why a serious adult drama is attracting the level of fan scrutiny usually reserved for genre material.—
Payton Turkeltaub,
Variety,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Travelers who happen by the small town of Ida Grove, Iowa, about 100 miles north of Omaha, might be intrigued (and a little perplexed) by the castle-like structures that sprang from the vision of Byron Godbersen, founder of Midwest Industries.—
Jacqueline Kehoe,
Midwest Living,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
But Brown has seemed to often be frustrated by his role in the team’s offense, which continued last fall as his production dipped and the offense as a whole sputtered.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The user seemingly was frustrated by Paramount‘s decision not to release the film in theaters and opting for a streaming release.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The mass unemployment everyone feared is still missing Initial jobless claims rose to 214,000 in the most recent week surveyed but the overall trend remains down and Wall Street is slightly puzzled as to why.—
Jim Edwards,
Fortune,
24 Apr. 2026
-
The city’s handling of its project to improve Clairemont’s Olive Grove Park, which has been underway for nearly two years, has left the community puzzled.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Garcia says, acting out the usual blush of so many bewildered men.—
Darío Gael Blanco,
Vanity Fair,
25 Apr. 2026
-
My mother looked bewildered and even Father looked up.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
24 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
There’s an iPad for everyone, but the platform as a whole has felt stuck for a long time, with fast and capable hardware hampered by software that doesn’t take full advantage of it.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
24 Apr. 2026
-
He’s since lost quickness and, because of his persistent injuries – he’s been hampered by hamstring issues over the last year and was questionable for Game 3 with calf tightness – never seems to have his full burst on the floor.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
23 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Valve’s upcoming Steam Controller (not to be confused with the 2015 controller of the same name) is the Steam maker’s effort to replace those controllers with something more explicitly designed for the PC, and for the upcoming Steam Machine.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The venomous coral snake does not have the telltale arrowhead shape and can often be confused with the nonvenomous kingsnake.—
Cody Godwin,
USA Today,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Howard provides the cops with a box of Nancy’s belongings, which an embarrassed Mary admits to stealing, with it later being revealed that Mary and Howard used to role-play as Nancy and her husband Robert (Joel Kinnaman).—
Arushi Jacob,
Variety,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The band felt embarrassed wearing those lame outfits.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Baffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/baffled. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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